The Philadelphia Phillies have a rich history of Silver Slugger Award winners, with 13 players bringing home the prestigious hardware a total of 25 times since the award's inception in 1980. While many of the names you'll find having won Silver Sluggers are obvious, like the legendary Mike Schmidt and his six awards, there have been some surprises over the years and some that fans may have forgotten about.
One of the surprising Phillies players to have won a Silver Slugger Award is former second baseman Juan Samuel, who took home the honor with his massive 1987 season.
Samuel spent six and a half seasons in Philadelphia, from his debut in 1983 into the 1989 season. Known more for his blinding speed than a big power bat, he racked up 167 stolen bases and 44 triples in his first three full seasons.
Juan Samuel exploded in 1987 for the Phillies to win his one and only Silver Slugger Award
But in his 1987 Silver Slugger All-Star campaign, Samuel exploded for a career-high 28 home runs and 100 RBIs. He had never come close to those totals before — his previous highs were 19 homers and 78 RBIs — and never did again in his 16-year MLB career.
Samuel slashed .272 /.335/.502 with an .837 OPS (116 OPS+) and led the majors in triples (15), plate appearances (726) and at-bats (655). He had 178 hits, 37 doubles and scored 113 times while swiping 35 bags in 50 tries.
Unfortunately, one of the limitations to Samuel's game was his propensity to strike out. Despite his stellar offensive season, he also led the NL with 162 strikeouts. It was the fourth straight season he led the league in punchouts, amassing 613 over his first four full seasons.
Nevertheless, Samuel finished 13th in NL MVP voting in 1987 and won the Silver Slugger at second base, in what was really the apex of his career.
After moving on to the New York Mets partway through the 1989 season, he also spent time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he was an All-Star in 1991. He also played for the Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays before hanging up the cleats after the 1998 season.
Samuel was enshrined in the Phillies Wall of Fame in 2008. He has held various coaching roles, including with the Phillies as a first and third base coach. He currently holds the title of special assistant to player development and international scouting, helping Phillies prospects in the Dominican learn the game the way he played it.
This year, FanSided will be announcing the Silver Slugger Awards, partnering with Louisville Slugger. The nominees, voted on by MLB coaches and managers, will be revealed on Oct. 22 for the National League and Oct. 23 for the American League. NL Silver Slugger winners will be announced on Nov. 6 and AL winners on Nov. 7.